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HEALTH-VIRUS-PANAMA
Panama records Central America’s first coronavirus death
PANAMA CITY, March 11, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Panama’s health minister on Tuesday
confirmed eight cases of the new coronavirus in the country, including one
death, the first virus-linked death in Central America.
“Of the eight patients we are reporting, one person is in intensive care,
another unfortunately died,” Minister Rosario Turner said during a press
conference in Panama City.
According to the ministry, a 64-year-old man who was already suffering from
diabetes complications associated with bacterial pneumonia died of the COVID-
19 virus on Sunday.
The other seven people who tested positive ranged in age from 29 to 59 and
had each recently traveled abroad.
Panama is the second Central American country to record cases of the COVID-
19 virus following Costa Rica, where 13 people tested positive, including
three Americans.
The Panamanian government ordered public and private schools closed until
April 7 in the affected areas.
The Health Ministry, meanwhile, called on the population “to remain calm
and follow prevention protocols.”
A total of 117,339 cases of the novel coronavirus have been recorded
worldwide, including 4,251 deaths, across 107 countries and territories,
according to an AFP tally.
BSS/AFP/FI/ 0802 hrs